RSA Weekly For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia
Saturday 16 August 2025 Hi , With Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into cults well underway, there has been a steady stream of articles in the media featuring the personal stories of people who have suffered
abuse and trauma in cults. In our submission to the inquiry (see the article below), we have urged the state to become a leader in addressing destructive cults and we have called for coercive control laws to apply to such groups. If you'd like to share your thoughts about articles in the RSA Weekly, email me on:
sigladman@rationalist.com.au. Si Gladman Executive Director, Rationalist Society of Australia |
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| RSA RSA raises human rights concerns about imposition of prayers with
federal parliament’s presiding officers16 Aug: The Rationalist Society of Australia has asked the presiding officers of the federal parliament whether they will consider the human rights impact of imposing daily acts of Christian worship. In a letter to Milton Dick, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Sue Lines, President of the Senate, the RSA said the practice of observing Christian prayers each day was inconsistent with
Australia’s international commitments regarding the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Read the full article |
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| RSA RSA calls on Victoria to lead in addressing destructive cults,
introduce coercive control laws13 Aug: The Rationalist Society of Australia has urged Victoria to become a leader in addressing harmful and abusive practices in destructive cults and called for it to expand coercive control laws to also apply to group-based contexts. In a submission to a state parliamentary committee inquiry into recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups, the RSA said common practices of coercive
control could no longer be ignored. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Minns unveils plan to fight anti-Muslim hate 15 Aug: The Minns government will establish a $1m program to combat anti-Muslim hate, including
establishing a support hotline for victims and a program to build awareness of Islamophobia. The Action Against Islamophobia program, which will administer the grant, is run by the Australian National Imams Council. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Royal Randwick lined up for Pope visit on a bumper weekend 15 Aug: Royal Randwick racecourse is in line to stage a papal Mass two decades after a
crowd of 400,000 filled the venue for Pope Benedict XVI’s appearance at World Youth Day. Sydney will host the Catholic Church’s International Eucharistic Congress in 2028. Read the full article |
| STAR MAIL ‘A psychological prison’: Australia-first inquiry to investigate cults in Victoria 15 Aug: Renee Spencer told the story of how her 22-year-old
daughter was indoctrinated by an infamous cult called The Jesus Christians, also known as the “Kidney Cult” for encouraging its members to donate their kidneys to strangers. Read the full
article |
| MSNBC Kim Davis wants the Supreme Court to join her crusade against same-sex marriage 15 Aug: Many Americans strongly support marriage for same-sex couples
— 68% nationwide, according to a recent Gallup poll. There is a partisan divide, though, and a small but loud cohort is trying hard to turn back the clock, as with so many of our country’s advances toward equality, liberty and justice for all. Read the
full article |
| CATHOLIC WEEKLY Minns celebrates Christianity 14 Aug: At the launch of the Christian Alliance Council of NSW at Parliament House last week, Premier Chris
Minns said that it was “important” to “celebrate Christianity” and its “importance to Australian life”. Read the full article |
| CANBERRA DECLARATION Historic ‘Sallyman’ Program Loses $1.5 Million Amid Albanese Government Defence Cuts 13 Aug: The Albanese government’s decision to end
funding for the Salvation Army’s 125-year-old “Sallyman” program has sparked widespread disappointment across Australia’s veteran and Defence Force community. The Sallyman program offers Defence personnel vital frontline emotional and spiritual support. Read the full
article |
| THE AGE Catholic school teachers chase 37 per cent pay rise 13 Aug: Hundreds of Victorian Catholic school principals are in open revolt against church
education authorities over their approach to pay talks with the sector’s 30,000 teachers. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Low-fee private schools are booming in these Melbourne suburbs 13 Aug: As parents flock to faith-based education and the special assistance model,
private school enrolments grew at three times the rate of those at government and Catholic schools over the last year, according to data from Independent Schools Victoria. Read the full article |
| SKY NEWS Mosque's $22,000 proposal to blast Islamic call to prayer from loudspeakers knocked back by council 12 Aug: A mosque's push to project the call to
faith over loudspeakers in a western Sydney suburb has been dealt a significant blow after sparking concern among residents. The Canterbury-Bankstown Council has recommended a proposal to install loudspeakers Lakemba Mosque be rejected. Read the full article |
| CATHNEWS NT bishop reaffirms Church’s position on euthanasia 11 Aug: As the Northern Territory Government conducts a public consultation on euthanasia,
Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci has reaffirmed the Church’s position on the sanctity of life and the importance of compassion for those in their final stages of life. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Right-wing group targets ‘weakling’ Liberals, as Hastie pushes Ley to dump net zero 10 Aug: A right-wing activist group which came to prominence
campaigning against the proposed Indigenous Voice to parliament has launched a campaign to kill off “weakling” Liberals who support the net zero climate target, heightening Coalition tension over energy policy. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Pete Hegseth reposts video that says women shouldn’t be allowed to vote 10 Aug: The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, recently shared a
video in which several pastors say women should no longer be allowed to vote, prompting one progressive evangelical organization to express concern. Read the full article |
James Talarico is a Democratic state politician from Texas who has emerged as a leading figure in the pushback against Christian Nationalism in the US. He is a devout Christian and vocal advocate for separation of church and state. His recent interview on the The Joe Rogan Experience is worth a listen. What do you think? Email your comments to:
editor@rationalist.com.au |
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| RATIONALE Science versus ownership: The true value of
fossils Jessica Theodor: Last year, a Stegosaurus nicknamed ‘Apex’ sold at auction for US$40.5 million. A juvenile Ceratosaurus fetched US$30.5 million just last month. Supporters of these sales argue that they’re harmless, or even good for science. Others compare fossils to art objects, praising their beauty or historical charm. As paleontologists, we say plainly: these views could not be more misguided.
Read the full article |
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| RATIONALE Why leisure matters for a good life, according to
Aristotle Ross Channing Reed: In his powerful book The Burnout Society, South Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han argues that in modern society, individuals have an imperative to achieve. Han calls this an “achievement society” in which we must become “entrepreneurs” – branding and selling ourselves. There is no time off the clock. Read the full article |
| THE AGE I escaped a cult – for years I didn’t even realise I was in one Ahona Guha: For five years, from late adolescence into my early 20s, I
was in a cult. And for decades, I have carried and hidden this early part of my life, feeling great shame that I was gullible enough to be lured into such a group, and even more ashamed of the grievous mental health struggles I experienced upon leaving, as I tried to rebuild my life from scratch. Read the full article |
| ABC Child's death drives churches to call out coercive control and cult-like behaviour Suzanne Smith: Out of this tragedy has come a network of
Christian pastors who are determined to educate themselves — and their followers — about coercive control. They want to teach people the warning signs of cult behaviour, before it is too late. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN How Pete Hegseth’s zeal to bring religiosity to the Pentagon is dividing the military Ben Makuch: While secretary of defense Pete
Hegseth’s links to an extremist church and crusader tattoos caused a stir during his confirmation hearings, the former Fox & Friends host is now openly bringing his ultra-conservative brand of Christianity to the Pentagon. Read the full
article |
| THE AGE A MAGA influencer tried to be a tradwife in Australia. It almost broke her Michelle Goldberg: Every few decades, it seems, America is
fated to endure a new spasm of pseudotraditionalism, with women encouraged to seek shelter from a brutal world in homemaking… I’m sure some women are happy renouncing their ambitions to care for husbands and children. But often women who give in to gender retrenchment come to regret it. Read the full article |
| FREETHINKERS INTERNATIONAL I always knew Christianity was a lie, but not that big Jan Bryxi: I always sensed something was off. The hymns, the
miracles, the rituals—they felt artificial. Still, I gave Christianity the benefit of the doubt. I assumed there was at least a man behind it all. A preacher. A reformer. Someone named Jesus. But the deeper I looked, the more the foundation dissolved. Read the
full article |
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